Samatha (Pāli),
śamatha (
Sanskrit) or orthographically romanized to
shamatha and is often translated as 'Calm Abiding' (Tibetan
shinay), comprises a suite or style of meditation or concentration practices designed to enhance sustained voluntary attention, and culminates in an attention that can be sustained effortlessly and for hours on end
[1]. Samatha is a subset of the broader family of
Samadhi ("tranquillity" or "concentration")
meditation practices
[2].
Buddhists consider meditation to be an act of concentration on a particular object or idea, sometimes in conjunction with inquiry into the nature of the object, as with "wisdom" (or Prajñā) practices such as
vipassanā ("insight") or
Dzogchen[3]. Therefore, meditation from other religious traditions are sometimes referred to as a variation of samatha meditation that differ in the focus of concentration; such as breathing, scriptural passage, mantra, religious picture, a rock, body (as a representation of death), and so on. In this sense, samatha is not a strictly Buddhist meditation.
Shamata in its single-pointed focus and concentration of mind is cognate with the sixth 'limb' of
Ashtanga Yoga or
Raja Yoga which is
Dharana or 'concentration'. For further discussion refer
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.
For Buddhists, it is commonly practiced as a prelude to and in conjunction with "wisdom" practices
[4]. Traditionally, in Buddhist meditation there are
40 objects of meditation, although the breath as an object of meditation enjoys the widest popularity in contemporary society. Mindfulness of breathing or
ānāpāna meditation which accompanies the Buddhist doctrine of rising and falling, can be used for both
Samatha and Vipassanā Meditation. Samatha can include other
Samadhi practices, as well.
Within
Vajrayana or
Tibetan Buddhism,
Samatha practice or 'Calm Abiding' progresses along ten carefully articulated stages or
Bhumi, leading, in the tenth stage, to an exceptional state of meditative absorption or concentration
[5] called the first
jhāna (Sanskrit:
dhyāna) which is often translated as state of tranquillity or bliss. Thus, it furthers the right concentration aspect of the
Noble Eightfold Path.
Śamatha is commonly used in
Tibetan Buddhism and various branches of the
Pure Land tradition.
See also
External links
Notes
1.
^ Wallace, A: 'The Attention Revolution', Wisdom Publications, 1st ed., 2006, p.6
2.
^ Wallace, A: 'The Attention Revolution', Wisdom Publications, 1st ed., 2006, p.131
3.
^ Wallace, A: 'The Attention Revolution', Wisdom Publications, 1st ed., 2006, p.164
4.
^ Wallace, A: 'The Attention Revolution', Wisdom Publications, 1st ed., 2006, p.164
5.
^ Wallace, A: 'The Attention Revolution', Wisdom Publications, 1st ed., 2006, p.6
Buddhism is often described as a religion[1] and a collection of various philosophies, based initially on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, known as Gautama Buddha.
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The History of Buddhism spans from the 6th century BCE to the present, starting with the birth of the Buddha Siddhartha Gautama. This makes it one of the oldest religions practiced today.
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3 (9).
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1st Buddhist council (c. 5th century BCE)
Main article: First Buddhist council
According to the scriptures of all Buddhist schools, the first Buddhist Council was held soon after the nirvana of the Buddha under the
..... Click the link for more information. Several Buddhist terms and concepts lack direct translations into English that cover the breadth of the original term. Below are given a number of important Buddhist terms, short definitions, and the languages in which they appear.
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The Four Noble Truths (Pali: Cattāri ariyasaccāni, Sanskrit: Catvāri āryasatyāni, Chinese: Sìshèngdì, Thai: อริยสัจสี่, Ariyasaj Sii
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Noble Eightfold Path (Pāli: Ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo; Sanskrit: Ārya 'ṣṭāṅga mārgaḥ; Chinese: 八正道, Bāzhèngdào; Japanese: 八正道,
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Śīla (Sanskrit) or sīla (Pāli) is usually rendered into English as "behavioral discipline", "morality", or ethics. It is often translated as "precept". It is an action that is an intentional effort.
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Nirvāṇa ( Sanskrit:
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Three Jewels, also called the Three Treasures, the Three Refuges, or the Triple Gem, are the three things that Buddhists give themselves to, and in return look toward for guidance, in the process known as taking refuge.
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Several Buddhist terms and concepts lack direct translations into English that cover the breadth of the original term. Below are given a number of important Buddhist terms, short definitions, and the languages in which they appear.
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Dukkha (Sanskrit duhkha) or unsatisfactoriness, 'dis-ease' (also often translated "suffering," though this is somewhat misleading). Nothing found in the physical world or even the psychological realm can bring lasting deep satisfaction.
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The five skandhas (Sanskrit) or khandhas (Pāli) are the five "aggregates" which categorize or constitute all individual experience according to Buddhist phenomenology.
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Buddhist cosmology is the description of the shape and evolution of the universe according to the canonical Buddhist scriptures and commentaries.
Introduction
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Rebirth in Buddhism is the doctrine that the consciousness of a person (as conventionally regarded), upon the death or dissolution of the aggregates (skandhas) which make up that person, becomes one of the contributing causes for the arising of a new group of skandhas which may
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For a general discussion of the concept, see Dharma.Dharma (Sanskrit: धर्म) or
Dhamma (Pāli: धम्म) in Buddhism has two primary meanings:
- the teachings of the Buddha which lead to enlightenment
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Karma (Sanskrit: कर्मन karman, Pāli: कमा Kamma) means "action" or "doing"; whatever one does, says, or thinks is a karma.
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- Pandita redirects here. For the butterfly genus, see Pandita (butterfly).
A number of noted individuals have been Buddhists.
Historical Buddhist thinkers and founders of schools
..... Click the link for more information. Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent and the founder of Buddhism.[1] He is generally recognized by Buddhists as the supreme Buddha (Sammāsambuddha) of our age.
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buddha (help info ) (Sanskrit: Awakened) is any being who has become fully awakened (enlightened), and has experienced Nirvana.
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This article or section may be confusing or unclear for some readers.
Please [improve the article] or discuss this issue on the talk page. This article has been tagged since August 2007.
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The four stages of enlightenment in Buddhism are the four degrees of approach to full enlightenment as an Arahant which a person can attain in this life. The four stages are Sotapanna, Sakadagami, Anagami and Arahant.
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Buddhism
History of Buddhism
Timeline of Buddhism
Buddhist councils
Foundations
Four Noble Truths
Noble Eightfold Path
Buddhist Precepts
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Buddhist meditation encompasses a variety of meditation techniques that develop mindfulness, concentration, tranquility and insight. Core meditation techniques are preserved in ancient Buddhist texts and have proliferated and diversified through the millennia of teacher-student
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In English translations of Buddhist literature, householder denotes a variety of terms. Most broadly, it refers to any layperson, and most narrowly, to a wealthy and prestigious familial patriarch.
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Buddhist beliefs and practices vary according to region. There are distinctions between and within the Buddhism practised in various regions, including:
..... Click the link for more information. Theravada (Pāli: theravāda; Sanskrit: स्थविरवाद sthaviravāda; literally, "the Way of the Elders") is the oldest surviving Buddhist school, and for many centuries has been the predominant
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East Asian Buddhism is a collective term for the schools of Buddhism that developed in the East Asian region, most of which are part of the Mahayana (which means "The Greater Vehicle") transmission.
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